US rejects all climate proposals  —  The US has rejected any prospect of a deal on climate change at the G8 summit in Germany next month, according to a leaked document.  —  Despite Tony Blair's declaration on Thursday that Washington would sign up to "at least the beginnings" …

White House Is Said to Debate '08 Cut in Iraq Troops by 50%  —  The Bush administration is developing what are described as concepts for reducing American combat forces in Iraq by as much as half next year, according to senior administration officials in the midst of the internal debate.

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  Jeff Gerth can't handle the truth  —  What happens to an investigative reporter best known for his role "breaking" three "scandals," each of which fell apart upon government investgiation?  —  If he's Jeff Gerth, and the Clintons are the subjects …

Immigration judges lack apt backgrounds  —  A growing number of the jurists have little or no experience in that area of law.  Some have strong Republican resumes.  —  WASHINGTON — Over the last two years, U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales has appointed more than two dozen individuals as federal immigration judges.

Memoirs of the man who thrice saved us from a Democratic presidency  —  Walking around Washington, D.C., telling people you're reading Bob Shrum's forthcoming memoir turns out to be a fantastic small-talk gambit.  People are astounded, confused, sympathetic.  Someone gave him a book deal?

William Peters, 85, Journalist Who Examined Race in U.S., Dies  —  William Peters, a journalist and award-winning documentary film producer who chronicled American race relations during the turbulent years of the mid-20th century, died on Sunday in Boulder, Colo. He was 85.

Breastfeed Your Way Out of Sexist Oppression  —  I'm just going to get of the way and let this one tell itself.  MEMRI: … Stone the bloody crows! … Let me see if I've got this straight.  You put a bloke and a sheila in close quarters, behind closed doors, and one thing might lead to another.

SUIT SHEDS LIGHT ON CLINTONS' TIES TO A BENEFACTOR  —  When former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton took a family vacation in January 2002 to Acapulco, Mexico, one of their longtime supporters, Vinod Gupta, provided his company's private jet to fly them there.

Post from Obama HQ:  —  Video: Truth on Iraq … This afternoon, Senator Obama addressed the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists at their annual convention in Chicago.  In this clip, he responds to the recent comments made by former Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain about yesterday's Iraq war spending bill:

White House Memo: Winning on Iraq, Bush Turns to Immigration  —  Having won his fight with Congressional Democrats on an Iraq war spending bill, President Bush is now waging an equally aggressive battle with Republicans, as he tries to persuade them to support an immigration bill that he hopes will be a signature domestic achievement.

The Saturday Cartoons  —  Matt Davies: How He Gets It Done  —  I saved Matt Davies, from the New York Journal News, for last (see above) because I have an additional item for you today in the form of a local news video Matt did recently, in which he pokes fun at how he gets ideas and inspiration for his Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

Who's Afraid of Democracy?  —  Believing that "people are rational as consumers and irrational as voters," many conservatives would favor free markets without democracy  —  SHARE Digg del.icio.us Reddit Newsvine  —  Behavioral economists at UC San Diego recently conducted a study …